Friday, January 13, 2017

It’s a nightmare scenario for a truck driver – jackknifing at the top of the grade on a snow-covered mountain road.

This played out for one unfortunate FedEx driver at 8:30 a.m. yesterday on Interstate 80, just above Floriston, Calif. Faced with an extended shutdown of the interstate to wait for a tow truck, the California Highway Patrol instead made the bold decision to escort the tractor down the slope, and into a turnout near Floriston.

The CHP office in Truckee has a video of the truck, which still had engine power. Watching it wind its way down the hillside is the sort of thing that will make even a seasoned driver’s blood run cold. The good news is the maneuver was successful and the highway reopened to traffic within an hour, according to the CHP office’s Facebook post.

In the words of one CHP officer at the end of the video: “I cannot believe that worked.”

Tell us what you think, drivers. Any critiques on this technique? Ever have anything similar happen? What did you do?

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Gadgets and other technological devices can be fun, useful
and make our lives easier.

Having access to GPS can save time and reduce stress when
driving for the first time in an unfamiliar area. Other smartphone applications
can allow truck drivers to stay better connected to family and friends during
another lonely night parked at a truck stop.

But where do you draw the line to decide whether or not a
gadget is helpful or a hindrance? When do we reach the point that there are too
many contraptions in the truck, and when do those gadgets begin to deter a
responsible and experienced truck driver from doing his or her job in a safe
manner?

It seems to me that we may very well have reached that
point.

Mercedes recently announced it’s working on a vest for
professional drivers that would monitor their heart rate and other vital signs.
The idea is that the vest would know if the driver was on the brink of a heart
attack and would stop the truck automatically.

Obviously, there are a ton of questions here. Do we really
trust the vest to be that accurate? What if a driver has an irregular heart
beat but isn’t in immediate danger? What if the truck is in the middle of a
steep climb in the mountains? What if the truck is going through a busy
intersection?

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Pending any potential repeal and replacement of the
Affordable Care Act, the law at this time still requires most Americans to have
some form of qualified health care coverage. Absent such coverage, the law
levies tax penalties against those who do not have employer-provided health insurance
and who elect not to enroll in a plan offered through a state, federal or
private insurance exchange.

But there are several key exemptions people may be eligible
for that will allow you to waive the penalties come tax time. The website
HealthCare.gov has a handy primer
on what those exemptions are, how to apply and what happens after. Those
exemptions are based on a number of circumstances, including certain hardships,
some life events, financial status, and even membership in certain groups. Click
here
for various exemption forms from HealthCare.gov.

If you were homeless, if you faced eviction or foreclosure,
filed for bankruptcy, or even had medical expenses you couldn’t pay, you
may be eligible for a hardship exemption under the law. Other hardship exemption
categories include the following: if you experienced domestic violence; if you
were the victim of a flood, fire or other natural or human-caused disaster that
substantially damaged your property; or if you experienced the death of a close
family member. You may even be able to claim an exemption if you had an
unexpected increase in expenses due to caring for an ill, disabled or aging
family member.

The HealthCare.Gov website lists a number of exemptions as
well as the
forms needed for you to apply for one.

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